


No Hotman left Behind

by ConstantlyHangry



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Protective Sokka (Avatar), So Much Friendship, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Suki & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar) - Freeform, The Gaang & Zuko - Freeform, Toph Beifong & Zuko Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27413971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstantlyHangry/pseuds/ConstantlyHangry
Summary: My take on the details of the Southern Raiders episode and then glamping on Ember Island. Zuko doesn't come out of the fight with his sister, and numerous falls unscathed. His long morning turns into a longer day(s). The gaang eventually realize what a reckless idiot he is. Gaang friendship evolves.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 100





	No Hotman left Behind

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was a little rough, haven't written in a while. Any helpful criticisms would be useful. Hope you guys are doing as well as possible in this crazy world. Kudos appreciated!

Zuko jolted awake in the air temple at the sound of an explosion, prepared for a fight within seconds. If the past years have taught him anything, he never slept too soundly, especially without Uncle at his side. He glanced around briefly, noting the rest of the group had the same reaction, an unfortunate result of the war. 

The source of danger made itself aware again as Aang deflected a couple more bombs, fire nation made. Zuko knew almost immediately who had arrived at the temple after his and Sokka's escape from the boiling rock. Azula had been a perfectionist in her tasks since childhood, hunting Zuko and Sokka would not be an exception. 

As Aang activated an old airbender defensive shield then ran back towards the group, Zuko's heart was pounding against his ribcage at the thought of seeing his sister again so soon.

Fighting Azula rarely went well, and there were too many others to protect currently. He sprinted towards Katara, rolling the both of them away from the falling roof. She pushed him off, angry. He responded to her sarcastic quip with one of his own, his sore muscles keeping him on the ground for a half-second longer. 

Teo and The Duke were wide-eyed, close together with Haru looking pale, and more than a little panicked. Hakoda and Chit Sang were ushering them towards an escape tunnel that was formed quickly.  
Zuko brought his focus back to the current argument of fleeing through the earthen tunnel, briefly sympathetic for Appa, who would not budge. All the members of the little group looked exhausted, ragged, and desperate in the morning emergency.

The young firebender swallowed his fear, realizing a distraction would be needed to get everyone out safely. His sister. His family. His guilt. His problem.

"Go ahead, I'll hold them off," the prince yelled behind him to a frantic Aang. "I think this is a family visit."

Zuko sprinted towards a break in their defense, swallowing bile and nerves back down his throat. He jumped through the gap, immediately avoiding the worst of a nearby bomb. He shot a couple of fireballs at the nearest ships, anxious that there was a small fleet in front of him but unable to back down. Dramatic as usual, his sister then appeared before him. Bingo.  
She sent a stream of fire towards him at the same time a bomb flew, knocking him off his feet and scraping his body along the cold, hard ground. The upside-down pagoda began to shake as sections fell away in his peripheral vision. 

Swallowing his survival instinct along with his fear, and ignoring Azula's continuing taunts, Zuko launched himself off the crumbling section of the cliffside. He punched fire at his sister, knocking her off her perch.  
Zuko could jump far, and use fire to go further, but it was not enough. He banged his body along the side of the airship, clawing for anything to stay alive. When he ran out of metal, he was plummeting, Azula's far off, blank face the last thing he saw as he plummeted through the cloud cover. 

The fire prince had never been, and would never be a coward so he turned his body in the chilly morning air to face the rocks that were sure to jump out of the fog. Perhaps, he could attempt to cushion the blow with his fire.  
Instead, within seconds, he slammed into the top of another ascending airship, the air evacuating his lungs instantly. After several seconds of choking on nothing, he rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing.  
He drew himself into a crouch, panting with blood rushing in his ears from the near-death fall. Taking stock, he suspected bruised or broken ribs from the fall, maybe a concussion if his dizziness was anything to go by, and possible dislocation of two fingers on his right hand. As he rose to his feet, he yanked both fingers forward and back into their proper joints, releasing a hiss as he did so.

Body stiff, Zuko rose and faced the direction he last saw his sister preparing mentally for round two. Squinting through the clouds, he saw blue fire shoot at a rock protected Appa. He let out a breath once the group was out of range of Azula, normal firebenders stood no chance against a sky bison, avatar, boomerang, and bending masters.

He wished very much that he was currently on Appa instead of having to fight Azula injured, but as she turned and the airship grew level, he sprinted forward while calming his inner flame for battle. Never give up without a fight, he briefly thought of Uncle and how he would have called him extremely reckless on this fine, sunny morning.

Azula and he traded blows, blue matching red. His sister fought with anger on her face, peaking out of her grinning teeth. Zuko's countenance was one of frustration, exhaustion his lips drawn into a thin line. The siblings were evenly matched. Neither gave ground, both craving a break in the deadlock.  
The environment entered into the bending duel, an explosion blasting them both off the airship as their fists met. Zuko saw the flash of blue flame, then was falling, falling his limbs splayed out midair to slow his descent for somehow the second time before noon. 

Out of his good ear, he heard Appa rumble, and Aang shout "Zuko!"  
He reached a hand out, Katara surprisingly being the one to lock forearms and bring him to the saddle with a thud. He knelt in the center of the group and turned quickly to find his opponent. The group watched as his little sister fell into the canyon, saving herself with a blue kick and hairpiece. 

As the Avatar flew them away from the fleet of crimson airships, Zuko stuck his non-throbbing hand through a saddle loop near Toph breathing heavily after the firefight. From the front of the group, Sokka looked back eyes wide. 

"Are you okay?! What the fuck Zuko" He yelled over the quick moving air currents. 

"Yeah" Zuko panted out, gulping down a few deeper breaths. "I'm fine."

Toph and Suki turned to him with disbelieving stares, and even Katara pursed her lips and scanned him with her eyes. Aang shouted to the back that they needed to think of where to camp next, as Zuko had bought them some time but not much.  
Sokka unfurled a nearby map, and everyone but Zuko and Toph huddled around it to scan for a new place. The prince leaned forward and pressed his forehead into the cool leather, slightly nauseous, and more than slightly sore all over. Toph scooted closer slowly until she wrapped one small, dusty hand around his wrist focusing on his heart. 

"You're fine, my ass Sparky. You should get Katara to check you out before your heart explodes"  
The earth bender grumbled at him, squeezing his wrist before replacing her hand to its former deathlock on the handhold. 

"I just need to rest for a second, I'll be fine when we land," He said gruffly back, glancing to make sure no attention was being given to them.

"Toph, Zuko any issues with heading towards this peninsula in the Earth Kingdom? It's just east of Rojonu." Suki said, turning towards the pair.

"Anywhere with solid ground seems perfect to me!" Toph said loudly with Zuko nodding in affirmation beside her.

"Hopefully, without the element of surprise, we will be able to lose the airships on Appa" Aang stated, brows furrowing at Zuko's current state. "Sifu Hotman, maybe you should let Katara check you out. You kind of fell off an airship a couple of times."

Zuko's eyes flicked to the water bender warily, her frown the most prevalent thing on her face. "I'll be fine Aang, let's just get out of here."

Aang gave a tentative nod and maneuvered his way to Appa's head steering them away from the Western air temple. Zuko leaned back down to his hunched state as the others began talking amongst themselves about the next moves.

This was going to be a long day, but as his uncle always said, persistence was one of his strong suits.


End file.
